"Whatever the social question, a bicycle should be part of the answer"

LIma Festival Follow Up

Wow! What a fun, productive time!

Thanks to all who attended the
2nd Annual Montana Backcountry Bicycle Festival
in Lima, Montana this past weekend - August 22 - 23 - and made it a HUGE success!See PhotosFestival Sponsors-Thanks!
Now it is your turn to MAKE HISTORY
Sound Off to support trails!

World-class backcountry singletrack threatened for closure inspired over 130 + cyclists to make the drive to Lima to ride, camp, eat, drink, dance and make new friends in the name of mountain bike tourism and trail advocacy.

And we did positively impact the community! The MMBA sponsored spaghetti dinner Saturday night which was shared by 165 town folks and visiting cyclists raised $966.00 for the Lima Historical Society and the Assisted Living Center! The shuttles, Firemen's breakfast, camping and meals in the restaurants all put money in the pockets of the locals and the food left over from the dinner and breakfast was distributed through the local Senior Food Commodity Program. Most importantly we opened the eyes of the community as to what a steady stream of visiting cyclists could mean for their economy and the importance of continued bicycle access to the trails in the Lima Peaks and Italian Peaks.

While the Festival weekend in Lima was certainly the FUN part - we now have the important home work of taking the energy and awareness generated down in the southern Beaverhead County and channel it into a powerful message for our land managers and elected officials. Now is the time to email these folks about your experience in Lima this past weekend to let them know about the importance of these trails to you and the affected communities. Even if you couldn't make it to Lima, please write to preserve continued trail access.

The world-class trails you enjoyed this weekend are scheduled to be closed in both the 2009 Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest Plan Revision and Senator Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act. There is still a chance to keep these open through your advocacy efforts. Montana has more to offer in economic development than just cutting down trees! We can have new Wilderness and continued access to important bicycle routes - Keep it Wild and Share the Trails! Bicycle access needs to be untaken by a trail-by-trail analysis not a blanket ban.

Yes it is a pain in the ass to take time out of your busy life to sit down and write but this is YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY TODAY! So write a thoughtful, passionate letter and make sure it gets to these 4 elected officials and the Region 1 Forest Supervisor ASAP. The members of the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance have worked their tails off for yourriding opportunities so it is now your turn to give back! Pay it forward and Make History!

Email letter writing tips:

1. Be respectful and positive.

2. Tell a personal story. Did you have a good time in Lima? Why? Express how you enjoy and value Montana's world-class backcountry trails. Tell how far do you travel to explore new trails in the State - Pipestone, the Pioneers, The Tobacco Roots, The Lima Peaks. What kind of riding experiences do you seek and how do you spend money in the local economies when you do. Do you camp? Motels? Restaurants? Let them know that low impact bicyclists do belong in backcountry and we want to help protect our wild lands. Even if you have never ridden the great trails in the B-D NF, let them know that it is important that these remain open for the cycling community. In short - why do you love riding Montana's finest singletrack? Will you tell your friends about the riding in Lima? Do you plan on going back to ride?

3. Expess that you can support new Wilderness when traditional bicycle trails are protected through companion desiginations, boundary adjustments and non-Wilderness corridors and cherry stems. Let them know that mountain bikers are muscle-powered conservationists that want to see our wild landscapes and riding opportunities permanently protected.
4. Backcountry bicycle tourism is a real economic force that needs to nutured as an important component of Montana's recreation assets. It's a sustainable, green, quiet, muscle powered revenue stream that can benefit Montana's communities without any resource extraction required. The trails already exist - they just need to be protected and promoted.

5.a.) Advocate for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail from Yellowstone Park to the Pintlar Wilderness including Trail #91, at Italian Peak & Trai #40, Little Sheep Creek at Lima Peaks. Suggest using companion designations, boundary adjustments and non-motorized corridors to keep this trail a through route for bicycles in Garfield/Lima Peaks RWA, the Italian Peaks RWA and the West Big Hole.b.) Trail #2, in the East Pioneer Range - a corridor or cherry stem needed to Tahepia Lake.c.) Trail #150, in the Tobacco Root Range - a cherry stem needed to the Lost Cabin Lake.d.) Trail #27, Monture Creek to #16 Falls Creek to Camp Pass in the Blackfoot Clearwater area - a small boundary adjustment is need to keep important loop rides open.

6. Let them know that the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance has been advocating for you and your trails.

Email Logistics:

Because of increased email spam you must use an email form on the websites of Senator's Tester and Baucus, Representative Rehberg and Governor Schweitzer to submit your letter. We suggest composing and saving your letter on a Word document and then pasting it into the web form for each of our elected officials. Make it personal, make it passionate!